


Eliza is the Best Thing in Our Lives

by protectoroffaeries



Category: Hamilton - Miranda
Genre: Alternate Universe - John Laurens Lives, F/M, Laurens and Eliza are BFFs, M/M, Period-Typical Homophobia, Post-Reynolds Pamphlet, canon era AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-09
Updated: 2017-01-09
Packaged: 2018-09-16 00:53:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,513
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9266498
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/protectoroffaeries/pseuds/protectoroffaeries
Summary: Angelica comforts her sister in the aftermath of Alexander's affair and confession, and thus has the opportunity to meet one John Laurens.She may have more in common with him than she's willing to admit.





	

**Author's Note:**

> First Hamilton fic!
> 
> I'm so here for Laurens and Eliza being friends, and Angelica relating to Laurens on some level (even if she doesn't really like him!).
> 
> As the tags say, there's some homophobia, and a misguided implication about the preferences of gay guys. 
> 
> If you enjoy ~ feel free to let me know in a comment. If you don't enjoy and you feel like you've some constructive criticism for me, I'll take that, too (so long as it's actually constructive!).

Angelica sits on the sofa next to her sister and holds her while she cries. She knows that Eliza wants to stop crying, that she thinks she's spent too long being affected by Alexander's betrayal. But Angelica knows there's no time limit on healing after heartbreak, so she doesn't tell Eliza to stop. She only holds her close, pets her hair, and tells her that eventually, everything will be okay. Angelica doesn't know if her words are true.

There's a knock at the door. The maids that typically tend to guests are out with the children right now, at Eliza's request. She doesn't want to trouble the children with her distress, but Philip and the younger Angelica have both already asked Angelica what's happened. Angelica only feels a little guilty about handing her nephew a copy of  _ The Reynolds Pamphlet _ in response. 

Angelica untangles herself from Eliza when the knocking continues. She'd hoped the visitor would get the message, but she supposes she can tell them to  _ go away _ herself. She gets to the door and opens it, and an unfamiliar man stands behind it. 

“Alexander isn't here,” she says stiffly because who else could he be besides one of Alexander's political friends - or enemies. He has long, curly hair that's swept back and tied with a ribbon and a freckled face with an emotion akin to upset written on it. That makes Angelica think he is a friend. Alexander's foes are cackling with joy right now. 

“I'm not here for Alexander,” he says, which throws Angelica off. Why else would a man appear on Alexander's doorstep, if not to see Alexander? She's not comfortable with any of the motives her mind conjures, and she's about to slam the door in his face when she hears Eliza speak from behind her.

“John,” Eliza says, “come in.”  

Angelica steps out of the way of this ‘John,’ a bit reluctantly. He steps inside, and Angelica looks at Eliza for a few seconds. Eliza does not seem afraid of John - actually, she seems more at peace in his presence than Angelica has seen her in a long time. Angelica doesn't like what that could imply. It seems unlike Eliza, and she's been so beside herself because of what Alexander  _ did _ , surely she couldn't do the same to him? But then, could she be upset only because he told the whole world? No, Angelica is certain Eliza loved Alexander. She's almost certain that Eliza  _ still _ loves Alexander. But then, who is this John? Angelica finally shuts the front door.

John takes off his coat and tosses it aside carelessly. He hugs Eliza without a word, and she returns the hug, going so far as to bury her face in his shoulder. Men and women simply do not just  _ hug _ . Angelica can't recall seeing Eliza hug any men outside of Alexander and their father, and even those hugs are rare.

“Did you read it? I couldn't read the whole thing,” Eliza says. Her tearful tone draws Angelica out of her improper speculations. 

“I read it,” replies John darkly. He releases Eliza, and Angelica catches the expression on his face. She's seen it before - in the mirror, on her own face, when she'd learned what Alexander had done.

“He wrote her love letters,” Eliza continues, wiping her face with her sleeve. 

“I know.”

“Do you think he loves her, John?” 

“I think,” John begins, his anger thinly veiled, “that if Alexander had any inkling of what love is, we would not be having this conversation.”

This is too bizarre for Angelica. Eliza is talking to John like he's a brother… or, actually, more like a sister, because most brothers wouldn't want to be bothered with their sister's problems.  _ Or a lover _ , Angelica’s mind supplies, because she can't quite think of another kind of man that would be so angry on Eliza's behalf. That doesn't explain why either of them are unhappy with Alexander - if they were having an affair, they could hardly fault someone else for doing the same thing.

Eliza must see Angelica's bewilderment on her face because she says, “Angelica, this is John Laurens. He and Alexander served together during the Revolution. We've become friends, since I married Alexander. John, this my older sister, Angelica Church.” 

“I've heard a lot about you,” John tells her, but Angelica's mind is still wrapped around  _ we’ve become friends _ . It's quite improper for a lady to befriend her husband's male friends, and Eliza knows that. “I wish we could've met under better circumstances.”

“As do I,” Angelica says, but she can tell that Eliza and John both hear the sharp edge to her words. “Eliza, may I have a word with you?”

Eliza takes a deep breath. “Of course. John, could you show yourself to the living room while I talk to my sister?”

John looks between Angelica and Eliza, and for a moment, Angelica thinks he might have the nerve to protest. Thankfully, he proves not to be that kind of man and takes leave of the two of them. 

“‘ _ John _ ?’” hisses Angelica as soon as the man in question is out of the foyer.  _ “Who is this man you seem so familiar with, Eliza?” _

“I told you,” Eliza answers more calmly than anything she's said in days. “He is Alexander's friend, and mine as well.”

“He came to see  _ you _ , not Alexander!”

Eliza's face scrunches up at Angelica’s unspoken accusation. “He is my  _ friend _ , that is all, Angelica! My husband may have cheated on me, but do you think that I am so low that I would do the same to him with his best friend?”

Angelica crosses her arms. Eliza wouldn't cheat on Alexander, Eliza is a good person, Eliza knows right and wrong. But she's a fool if she cannot see that this John Laurens cares for her, and Angelica tells her so.

“Do you not care for your friends, Angelica?” Eliza says heatedly, and the tears are springing to her eyes again. 

“My friends are not  _ men _ !” shouts Angelica, and John probably heard that, but she can't bring herself to care. He's probably trying to take advantage of Eliza's vulnerability, the bastard… “Eliza, do I have to tell you that there is only one thing that men like your  _ friend _ ,” she spits out the word, “want?”

“John does not bed  _ women _ !” Eliza shouts back, and then she turns red and the tears fall. “Not me. Not others. He  _ loves  _ Alexander!”

Angelica pauses, shocked. “He… you…” It takes her a moment to form a coherent sentence. “He's a… sodomite?” Eliza nods, the tears streaming down her face. “And you… let him into your home? Near your husband? Near your  _ children _ ?” Angelica can't believe what she's hearing - has Eliza lost her mind?

Eliza's still crying, but her lips draw into a thin line, and her hands flex at her sides. “John would  _ never _ hurt my children,” she insisted, her tone final, although Angelica doesn't understand how she believes that.  “As for his relationship with Alexander… he came to me - John, not my  _ husband _ \- and told me that they had a relationship while they both worked under General Washington.”

“Alexander…?” Angelica chokes. Her stomach drops. Alexander and  _ men _ ? Why does this not infuriate and disgust Eliza like it does Angelica? 

“John… was honest with me, and when he was done, he told me that he still… cared for Alexander, but that he didn’t want to interfere with our marriage. He said that if I wanted, he would leave and never return,” Eliza continues, like Angelica hadn't said anything. “At first, I was furious. I told him I would like it very much if I never saw his face again. But… he respected that. He stopped talking to Alexander. And Alexander was devastated.”

Eliza looks down at her hands. Angelica has no idea what to make of her narrative. Her mind is reeling. Although, if she had to pick a person that she thought would be inclined toward both women  _ and  _ men, she supposes Alexander is probably the one she'd choose. He is eccentric enough.

“I told them n-no sex. No romance,” Eliza says softly. “They agreed that friendship would be enough. They've always respected that. John made an effort to be my friend, and eventually, it worked. I understand why Alexander is so enamored with him; he is the bravest person I've ever met. When I… read what Alexander had done, I was afraid that he and John…” She heaves a great sigh. “But John is here. He's probably angrier with Alexander than I am. I'm relieved that I still have him, now that I no longer have Alexander.”

Angelica doesn't know what to say. Eliza glances up at her, and Angelica doesn't know what her sister sees on her face, but it causes her to frown. “Angelica, you, of all people, should understand what it is like to love Alexander, even when you shouldn't,” she adds pointedly, but there's no harshness behind the words. 

“I… didn't realize you knew,” Angelica stammers, too dazed by all the information Eliza just shared to try and lie. 

“He broke all of our hearts,” Eliza says with a small shrug. “It's difficult not to see kindred spirits. This Maria Reynolds girl… he probably broke her heart, too.”

That snaps Angelica back to reality. “Mrs Maria Reynolds is married, and she knew Alexander was married. Don't…”

Eliza opens her mouth to say something, to perhaps refute her claim or remind her that she's married, but their conversation is abruptly ended by a shout from the living room. Angelica and Eliza stare at each other for a moment, and then Eliza hollers, “John?”

“Eliza?” a voice calls back, but it isn't John. It's Alexander. 

Eliza jolts in surprise; Alexander has been kicked out of the house for the time being. Angelica may have to slap him again for returning too soon. 

Angelica and Eliza enter the living room to find John Laurens on his feet, hands clenched into fists, jaw set. He's glaring at Alexander, and Alexander seems to wither under it. His shoulders are hunched, and his eyes are on the floor. He looks nothing like the Alexander that Angelica loved. He looks pathetic. 

“You are not supposed to be here,” Eliza says coolly. 

Alexander sighs. “I know.”

“Then what the hell are you doing?” John demands, and Angelica realizes that Eliza was right. He's shaking with fury. Angelica suspects he feels like Alexander has betrayed more than just Eliza, her trust, and her heart. 

“John,” Alexander says in that pleading way, the same way he'd said Angelica's name when she'd confronted him at his office. The only difference is that he's quieter about it, like he already knows John won't have mercy on him.

“You are a  _ fucking _ moron, Alexander,” John snaps, and Alexander visibly recoils from his words. Eliza puts a hand over her mouth, eyes going wide. Angelica, for her part, agrees with John. Even if she's still not sure what to make of him.

“John, please-”

“ _ No _ . All you had to do was keep your goddamn pants on,” growls John. 

“There are ladies present-”

“Be thankful for that!” John shouts, “If Eliza weren't here, I would have already hit you.”

Those words seem to trigger something within Alexander because he stands up straighter, and the shame in his eyes burns away into something that looks suspiciously like indignation. “That's rich, coming from you.”

“This isn't about me,” John says, eyes narrowing. 

“No, it's about me and Eliza. It's none of your damn business, you shouldn't be here.”

Angelica raises an eyebrow, and she knows Alexander notices because his eyes dart to her for a split second. She dares him to talk to  _ her _ like that, too. He, wisely, does not. He really shouldn't have done so to John, either, they all learn moments later.

“ _ You _ wanted me in your life. Well, here I am, and I'm fucking pissed.”

“You cheated on your wife!” Alexander screams at John. “And you have the nerve to act self-righteous when I do the same!”

John goes very still, and Angelica knows that Alexander’s words are true. Oddly, she feels disappointed in John. It's strange; she doesn't know him or approve of his… tastes. She supposed she'd felt some sort of kinship with him over Alexander.

Eliza can see that it's true, too. “John?” she whispers, her voice shaky, and Angelica feels a flare of hatred toward John for betraying her sister, too. 

When John speaks again, he says, “The difference between you and I, Alexander, is that I told Martha  _ everything _ . She and I… we were married because we had to be, because of Frances, but she knew from the beginning that I could never love a woman as I should… and I knew she could never love a man.”

Angelica suddenly wonders how many people she knows are secretly like John and his wife. She feels like a fool for never considering it before. A marriage between two people like them, for the sake of appearances. It is, actually, rather smart. She also wonders if John's wife had a woman on the side… and what would that be like? She shuts the thoughts down quickly. 

“I didn't know,” Alexander says eventually.

“It wasn't my secret,” murmurs John. Angelica watches Eliza blush. Her sister is probably thinking about how she just shared John's secret with Angelica. 

“John, I didn't know how to say no to Maria,” Alexander whispers, but he's looking past John at Eliza when he says it. Eliza flinches when Alexander says  _ Maria _ , and Angelica steps closer to her sister and wraps a protective arm around her. Then, she shoots Alexander a dirty look.

“It's a two letter word, Alexander,” John says, and now he sounds more tired than anything. “You've always been a man of many words. You knew how to say no. You just didn't want to.”

“You were the one that told me that love cannot be contained.” Angelica hears Eliza take in a sharp breath.

“Love and lust are not the same thing. Love takes courage, trust, and sacrifice. It takes commitment and understanding. It doesn't waver or falter in the face of something as base as  _ lust.”  _

Angelica finally decides she likes John. Even if his tastes are... unconventional. 

“Your love for me wanned,” Alexander accuses softly, and he takes his eyes off Angelica and Eliza and puts them back on John. 

“No.” He doesn't say it again, but Angelica can almost hear his words echoing:  _ love takes sacrifice, love takes sacrifice, love takes sacrifice…  _

“I'm sorry, Alexander,” Eliza blurts out suddenly. Angelica stares at her sister. Has she gone mad? John and Alexander look at her, too, and they both seem equally puzzled. 

“You've nothing to be sorry for,” Angelica insists firmly.

Eliza shakes her head. “I should have let you be with John,” Eliza says to Alexander. “He would have been enough.” 

“No,” Angelica says before either man can comment. “Alexander can never be satisfied.”

John Laurens nods, once, sharp, in agreement with her.


End file.
